Sunday, December 2, 2012
Rachel Kopicki's RMSP Wayne County Health Blog: Wayne County Against Smoking
Rachel Kopicki's RMSP Wayne County Health Blog: Wayne County Against Smoking: I came across the Tobacco Prevention page on the Wayne County Public Health website and found that Wayne County has much to offer smokers w...
Wayne County Against Smoking
I came across the Tobacco Prevention page on the Wayne County Public Health website and found that Wayne County has much to offer smokers who are trying to quit. In addition to free counseling and support, the program provides nicotine patch, gum and lozenge starter kits to Wayne County residents, free of charge. The program also offers education material and group courses on smoking cessation. Such courses are taught by Public Health officials and is based on I Can Quit, a program developed
by the University of Pittsburgh. The program involves multiple sessions, designed to encourage smoking cessation by providing participants with essential information
and strategies to assist their efforts.
This course is taught at work and meeting places.
Additionally, Wayne County Public Health offers a smoking cessation program for middle and high schoolers. This program is entitled, The Tobacco Awareness Program (TAP), is designed specifically for an adolescent population and addresses both smoking and smokeless tobacco use. This program offers 8, one-hour, adult led sessions for groups of 8-12 adolescents who want to stop using tobacco. The TAP curriculum helps participants choose cessation methods that they believe will work best for them.
Both of these programs seem to offer much support to Wayne County residents, and I was impressed to find just how committed the programs seemed to be. However, they seem to be only aimed at those residents who already have an interest in quitting smoking. This is a wonderful resource but it does not target smokers who have not yet made the decision to quit. I think this is the population that needs the most attention and the most information on smoking cessation. Smoking is an important issue for physicians to discuss with patients because it can impact health in a significant way. I think it is important for health care providers to educate smokers on the dangers of smoking and equally importantly, the avenues to pursue cessation. As a provider, knowing about the county resources is crucial in most effectively addressing this issue.
http://www.co.wayne.ny.us/Departments/publichlth/tobacco.html
Additionally, Wayne County Public Health offers a smoking cessation program for middle and high schoolers. This program is entitled, The Tobacco Awareness Program (TAP), is designed specifically for an adolescent population and addresses both smoking and smokeless tobacco use. This program offers 8, one-hour, adult led sessions for groups of 8-12 adolescents who want to stop using tobacco. The TAP curriculum helps participants choose cessation methods that they believe will work best for them.
Both of these programs seem to offer much support to Wayne County residents, and I was impressed to find just how committed the programs seemed to be. However, they seem to be only aimed at those residents who already have an interest in quitting smoking. This is a wonderful resource but it does not target smokers who have not yet made the decision to quit. I think this is the population that needs the most attention and the most information on smoking cessation. Smoking is an important issue for physicians to discuss with patients because it can impact health in a significant way. I think it is important for health care providers to educate smokers on the dangers of smoking and equally importantly, the avenues to pursue cessation. As a provider, knowing about the county resources is crucial in most effectively addressing this issue.
http://www.co.wayne.ny.us/Departments/publichlth/tobacco.html
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